8 Tips on Avoiding Decision Fatigue

We’ve all had those days that are mentally exhausting. As teachers, there isn’t much downtime as you have to manage a full classroom and interact with others all day long. Both your body and mind use a lot of energy to get through the day. Fortunately, there are ways you can lessen the work your brain has to do. 

If you feel mentally drained after just a few hours, you may be experiencing decision fatigue. Decision fatigue causes us to lose energy and focus after we make too many decisions. Research says that we make anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000 decisions each day, from picking out our clothes to choosing a meal for lunch. Each decision requires your brain to do some work to evaluate information and compare different outcomes. 

Decision fatigue can lead to careless mistakes and poor decisions. You may also become irritable and physically tired. These aren’t the best combinations for success. 

Luckily, there are some ways to outsmart your brain to avoid decision fatigue and have a more productive day.

Image credit: https://blog.mint.com/how-to/decision-fatigue/

1) Reduce your decisions

This may sound obvious but planning and streamlining aspects of your day can help your brain expect certain outcomes and do less work. 

2) Stick to a routine

Even if you aren’t a fan of routines, having a similar schedule can reduce the number of decisions you are faced with. 

3) Make big decisions in the morning

You wouldn’t want to give a presentation on zero hours of sleep, so don’t do critical decision-making when your brain is already tired. 

4) Eat healthy and eat often

Feed your body the necessary food it needs to conquer the day. Hunger and dehydration may also cause issues so eat often and drink plenty of water. 

5) Try time-blocking your schedule

You may not have much control over your schedule but using a calendar for the things you can control and allotting time for each task is a great way to prioritize tasks. 

6) Limit distractions

Email and phones can pull us away from our work and make it more difficult to jump back in. 

7) Get plenty of sleep

Rest is critical for both your mind and body so get plenty of sleep to stay on top of things. 

8) Automate your life

Technology can be a huge help in our everyday life. Consider automating alarms and bill payments so you have to think less about them.

Amanda Tallent is a content creator and digital marketer. Her love of writing and passion for creating has led her to cover unique topics ranging from lifestyle to business.

Looking for other methods to keep you focused and alert at work? Exercise is a great way to wake your brain up and inject some activity into your day. Check out these Exercises for the Workplace and get fit while you work!